Lightproof rewind device



May 2, 1950 L. J. MELLERT LIGHTPROOF REWIND DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Nov. 27, 1946 y 2, 1950 L. J. MELLERT 2,505,783

LIGHTPROOF REWIND DEVICE Filed Nov. 2'7, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.LAWRENCE J flmmr B4222 JMWYB TTOANEYY Patented May 2, 1950 lTED STATESPATENT OFFICE 2,505,783 LIGHTPROOF REWIND DEVICE Lawrence Mellert,Atlanta, Ga. Application November 27, 1 946, SerialNo. 712,530

' "8.Clairns. (c1. 242*55) This invention. relates to wmeans. or.apparatus for handling and rewinding unexposed or live film and/orexposedfilm-in strip. form. Such device is intended for reeling stripfilmiadaptediorsuse in the ordinary. camerawhere either relatively longlength and/or shorterlengths are desired.

An object of theinventionis to provide an apparatu in which strip filmmay be transferred from one cartridge to another, or from .onemagazineto anotherin .fulldaylight .without resortin to the use of a dark roomor-aspaceconditionecl' with non-actiniclighti Another obiectof thisinvention is to render the loading and unloading ofcartridges ormagazines with strip film in an efficient and economical manner.

A further objeetofthe invention ism-provide a means w-herebyblanlrleaderfilm maybe spliced to one end of the-film, and whereby. such blankleader. film can be splicedtothetwo visible ends of the film at anydesiredplace upon the transferring of the film from one magazine to theother.

A further object ofthis-.invention-isto provide a reservoir of extrafilmfromwhich smaller. spools can be filled withoutnecessitating theuseof such apparatus in the dark.

With these and further. objects in view, as may become apparent from thefollowing: disclosure, it will be seen. that the handling; transferringand rewinding. offihniromwne magazine to the other, is accomplishedwithlessfilm wastage, less eye strain, the avoidanceofworkingin thedark, and withan appreciable saving of time.

Fig. .1 is a side .elevat on-viewoi the apparatus partly broken awayillustrating. the two magazines in operative position; Fig; 2is-a.bottom view of the device partly broken away; Fig. 3 is a. sideelevation of the device in. open position, the .twomasa zines beingseparated to permit the splicingof the film strip; Fig. Lisa perspectiveView of the spool tion H and aiemalesection l2, and an annular threadedcollar l3 which interlocks the sections H and I2. The section ll has ahorizontal slot opening 54 to admit a key l5 carriedby the section 92,which secures thetwo sections inproper alignment. Theinterioroftheiseeti'ons H and l2 may, ifdesired, be lined with felt toprovide a light-tight joint withthe collar! 3 securely threadedto thesection l2. Suitable felt gaskets 116 and I! are interposed between theexterior of the housing l0 and 2t, respectively to form alighttightjoint with the sections H and l2respectively.

. The housing it comprises a box-like portion, a separate cover itsecurely attached thereto by conventional fasteners, one for each of thefour sides of said housing, shown in the drawings'a'sa hook and pegarrangement 2 land 22, respectively, The interior of the cover l9islined witha feltlike material to obtain the desirable lightetigl'itconnection.

Positioned centrally in the housing H! is aspindle 23 on which a spool24 is independently mounted for rotation. with a loose slidingconnection thereon. Strip film 39 is reeled upon the spool as willhereinafter be described in detail.

A tension spring roller traveler 25 is mounted upon one of the sidewallsof the section I 8 by a suitable bracket and pin structure 26 and apair of springs 2'5 attached to the brackctatZBi Such springs 21 bear onthe undersurface of 'thearni upon which the roller traveler ispositioned. The springs are of the leaf spring type and'areunder tensionat all times. They operate to forcethe roller traveler against the filmwhich isreeled upon the spool, so that the traveler retards theunreeling, thereby preventing the film frombucltling, running 01?, orjamming. A guide roller"!!! is positioned Within the housing tofacilitatemovement of the film from the spool through light trapguideways, comprising members 3| and 32 which in turn may be felt-linedto prevent the pick up of static normally acting on the emulsion of livefilm if reeled too fast. The film 30 is then passed through a light trapin the housing, as shown by 33, into the female section I l.

The housing 20 is constructed similarly' totlie housing iii and has alight trap 9 similartoand in alignment with the light trap 33 of thehousing It. The light trap 9 includes guideways-t land 35 similar tothose indicated at 3! and H respectively. A guide roller 36 direct thefilm strip onto a spool 3l,-which isrnounted ona spindle 38 that dependsfrom a cover 38 for the=housing 20. The spindle 58 may carry a key 4:],best-shown -in-Fig. 2, which fits into an opening in the spooloperation, film which isplaced on the sp'ool zd 3 in the housing I ispassed around the guide roller 29 and through the guideways 3i and 32into the hollow channel member and then into the housing 20 through theguideways 34 and 35, around the guide roller 36 and onto the spool 31.This enable the operator to judge the number of turns W required for adefinite length of film.

The device may be used when fully loaded without the use of a darkroomand When blank leader film is properly attached to the exposed filmbefore the loading of the housing In, the op eration may be conducted infull daylight without the usual exposure of the film. Should theoperator wish to splice the film at any predetermined length, or attachand splice blank leader film between sections of the film beingtransferred, the collar l3 may be unscrewed, the two housings separatedbut a few inches as shown in Fig. 3, and the film may be cut, spliced ora section may be removed, dependent upon the operation conducted. Thenthe collar 53 may be threaded onto the member 12 and the two housingsmay be connected for further transferring or reeling more film into thehousing 20. During the latter operation, only a few inches of film willbe lost due to the exposure thereof to daylight, 3:

whereas in previous devices the film wastage would amount to severalfeet.

A further desirable feature of the device is that small cameras may beloaded with a short length.

Referring to Fig. 4, each spool 24 and 31 is shown in two distinct butseparate sections 45 and 46. The two sections may be connected togetherby hubs 41 and 48 which are provided with left hand threads 41 and 4B. Aroll of bulk film can be placed over the hub M and then the sections maybe threaded together as previously described. To permit additional easeand speed in loading the housing it the section 45 may be placed withinthe housing, and the bulk film may be dropped into place on the spoolhub 49 as the operator forces the arm of the roller traveler 25 awayfrom the centermost portion of the housing It]. The roller traveler isthen allowed to abut the film 3E] through the action of the springs 21,and the section 16 may then be screwed into the section 55 prior to thethreading of the film through the housing l0.

An advantage of the present invention is the fact that the apparatus canbe manufactured economically from a variety of materials. and

that it can be readily used in daylight for splicing film with the lossof only a few inches of film. I claim:

1. A device for handling strip film comprising in combination, a pair ofhousing sections, each I being adapted to hold a film carrying reel,means by the other section for rotating the reel therein to draw filmfrom one section into the other, and

a conduit for the film extending between the sections, said conduitcomprising a detachable coupling in the form of a screw and nutcoupling.

2. In a device for handling strip film, the combination of a pair ofhousing sections, each having means carried thereby for holding a reeland each having a substantially light-tight opening in its edge portionadapted to receive and guide film to and from said reels, one of thehousing sections having a handle member carried thereby for rotatingsaid reel from the exterior of said housing, and a light-proof tunnelconnecting said housings, the tunnel being in communication with thelight-tight openings in the respective housings,

the tunnel comprising a pair of aligned sections and a threaded sleevefor coupling said sections 1 together.

3. An apparatus of the character described comprising a pair ofsubstantially light-tight housings having a hollow member forming aninterlocking connection therebetween, said mem her having a light-tightpassage therethrough and consisting of a male section and a femalesection, and a threaded sleeve forming a releasable connectiontherebetween, each of the housings carrying a detachably mounted reeltherein, and means for reeling film from one housing to the other.

4. A device for handling strip film comprising in combination, a pair ofhollow housing sections, each having a removable cover for one sidethereof, one of the sections comprising a film magazine having a reelremovably positioned therein, the other section having a reel receivingshaft carried by its cover and having a handle carried on the exteriorportion thereof for operating said shaft, each of said housing sectionshaving an opening therein through which film may enter or leave thesection, and having a light trap adjacent the opening, and a hollowscrew and nut coupling providing a light-tight passageway between saidhousing sections.

5. A device for handling strip film comprising in combination a pair ofhousing sections, each comprising a hollow member having a removablecover therefor, means for locking the covers to the respective sections,a reel journaled for rotation in each section, means on one of thecovers for rotating the reel in the corresponding section, a springactuated follower for imparting a drag to the reel in the other housingsection, each housing section having an opening therein through whichfilm may be passed, and each having a light trap adjacent to the openingtherein, and a tunnel providing a passageway for film from one housingsection to the other. said tunnel comprising parts connected detachablyindependent of said light traps where the portion of the film betweenthe housings may be exposed for cutting or splicing purposes.

6. A substantially light-tight film rewind mechanism comprising a pairof housings each having a light trap associated with a film passageway,said housing being adapted to be releasably held together by a hollowmember, said member surrounding the mouths of said passageways andforming an interlocking connection between said housings and consistingof a male section and female section, each being attached to one of saidhousings, releasable means for locking the two sections together, areleasably mounted reel carried within each of said housings, and meansfor driving one of the reels within a housing to transfer film from onehousing to the other.

7, apparatus of the character described comprising a pair ofsubstantially light tight film housings, each having means for carryinga reel therein, each housing having an opening for the passage of thefilm and having a light trap associated with such opening, and a tunnelnormally connecting the two housings and surrounding the space betweentwo openings but detachable without disturbing the light traps of thetwo housings.

8. An apparatus comprising a pair of housings each having means forcarrying a reel therein, each housing having an opening for the passageof the film, and a tunnel normally connecting the two housings andsurrounding the space between two openings, said tunnel beingcylindrical in form and composed of two members one overlapping theother, and means for removably connecting said overlapping members toeach other but allowing their detachment and separation from each other.

LAWRENCE J. MELLERT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

